Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is books.com legit or a scam?
AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns books.com?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for books.com. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
Lifeline · books.com over time
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
Registered 34 years ago · on AboutUs since 2006 · 2 registrar changes since Sep 16, 2011 · 1 registrant change since 2007 · last checked Nov 4, 2026.
Registration
RegisteredOct 9, 1992books.com was registered on Oct 9, 1992.Source: RDAP, fetched Sep 6, 2026
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageAboutUs wiki pageJun 19, 2006 – Apr 21, 2014An AboutUs wiki page described books.com from Jun 19, 2006 to Apr 21, 2014 (5 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Registrar
MELBOURNE IT, LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDESep 16, 2011 – Aug 10, 2012Registrar MELBOURNE IT, LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDE in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for books.com, from Sep 16, 2011 to Aug 10, 2012.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)Melbourne IT Ltd
Registrant
Registrant recordsMay 14, 2007 – Jun 6, 2026Registration records for books.com are held from May 14, 2007 to Jun 6, 2026 (619 records). 1 change of registrant name or organization is marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes, renames of the same organization and new contacts at it are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Zone file
Nameservers: barnesandnoble.comNameservers: barnesandnoble.comMay 14, 2007 – Oct 17, 2013Registration records listed barnesandnoble.com nameservers (mail9th1.barnesandnoble.com, ns2.barnesandnoble.com, ns3.barnesandnoble.com…) for books.com from May 14, 2007 to Oct 17, 2013. Days a zone file covers are shown from the zone file instead.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
Let's EncryptSep 23, 2026 – Nov 7, 2026 (latest)Let's Encrypt issued 1 certificate for books.com from Sep 23, 2026, the latest valid until Dec 22, 2026. Seen in use on Nov 4, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Nov 4, 2026
200020102020Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (17)
Oct 9, 1992Registration: books.com was registered on Oct 9, 1992.Source: RDAP, fetched Sep 6, 2026
Jun 19, 2006 – Apr 21, 2014AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described books.com from Jun 19, 2006 to Apr 21, 2014 (5 edits).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Jul 1, 2006AboutUs record: “The shipping messages on the Barnes & Noble.com web site tell you how quickly products are expected to be ready to leave our warehouses. Please note that our shipping messages do not indicate when items will arrive at t…”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
May 14, 2007 – Jun 6, 2026Registrant: Registration records for books.com are held from May 14, 2007 to Jun 6, 2026 (619 records). 1 change of registrant name or organization is marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes, renames of the same organization and new contacts at it are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
May 14, 2007 – Oct 17, 2013Zone file: Registration records listed barnesandnoble.com nameservers (mail9th1.barnesandnoble.com, ns2.barnesandnoble.com, ns3.barnesandnoble.com…) for books.com from May 14, 2007 to Oct 17, 2013. Days a zone file covers are shown from the zone file instead.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Said about itself in 2006
Jul 1, 2006
“The shipping messages on the Barnes & Noble.com web site tell you how quickly products are expected to be ready to leave our warehouses. Please note that our shipping messages do not indicate when items will arrive at t…”
Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006
Current AboutUs recordJun 18, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026 (latest)Authority and Safety last refreshed Sep 6, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Dec 19, 2013 – Feb 23, 2014
Registrar Melbourne IT Ltd (IANA 13) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for books.com, from Dec 19, 2013 to Feb 23, 2014.
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
CSC Corporate Domains, Inc.CSC Corporate Domains, Inc.Mar 19, 2014 – Nov 3, 2026 (latest)Registrar CSC Corporate Domains, Inc. (IANA 299) in the registration data recorded, first on Mar 19, 2014 and most recently on Nov 3, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Sep 6, 2026
Registrant changeJul 28, 2022The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Jul 28, 2022. That can be a rename, a new contact or a sale; the record alone does not say which.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
1 registrant change, 2007–2026
Nameservers: barnesandnoble.comOct 18, 2013 – Apr 3, 2018barnesandnoble.com (mail9th1.barnesandnoble.com, ns2.barnesandnoble.com, ns3.barnesandnoble.com…) were the nameservers listed for books.com at every ICANN zone-file snapshot AboutUs holds from Oct 18, 2013 to Apr 3, 2018 (snapshots exist for only part of 2013–2018).Source: ICANN zone-file snapshots, 2013–2018 (legacy archive)
Nameservers: barnesandnoble.comNameservers: barnesandnoble.comApr 4, 2018 – Jun 6, 2026Registration records listed barnesandnoble.com nameservers (mail9th1.barnesandnoble.com, ns2.barnesandnoble.com, ns3.barnesandnoble.com…) for books.com from Apr 4, 2018 to Jun 6, 2026. Days a zone file covers are shown from the zone file instead.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Seen in the .com zone fileSep 8, 2026 – Nov 1, 2026 (latest)First seen in the .com zone file records AboutUs holds on Sep 8, 2026; latest sighting Nov 1, 2026. Nameservers on Nov 1, 2026: austin.ns.cloudflare.com, gigi.ns.cloudflare.com.Source: ICANN CZDS zone file, snapshot Nov 1, 2026
Nameservers changedSep 24, 2026The nameservers listed for books.com changed in the zone file on Sep 24, 2026.Source: ICANN CZDS zone file, snapshot Nov 1, 2026
DNS moved to CloudflareNov 1, 2026books.com's nameservers moved from barnesandnoble.com to Cloudflare at some point between Jun 6, 2026 and Nov 1, 2026. Last seen at barnesandnoble.com: Jun 6, 2026 (registration record). First seen at Cloudflare: Nov 1, 2026 (ICANN zone file (CZDS)). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the 5 months in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → ICANN zone file (CZDS))
Sectigo Limited
Sep 29, 2026 – Nov 7, 2026
Sectigo Limited issued 1 certificate for books.com from Sep 29, 2026, the latest valid until Dec 26, 2026.
Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Sep 16, 2011 – Aug 10, 2012Registrar: Registrar MELBOURNE IT, LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDE in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for books.com, from Sep 16, 2011 to Aug 10, 2012.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Oct 18, 2013 – Apr 3, 2018Zone file: barnesandnoble.com (mail9th1.barnesandnoble.com, ns2.barnesandnoble.com, ns3.barnesandnoble.com…) were the nameservers listed for books.com at every ICANN zone-file snapshot AboutUs holds from Oct 18, 2013 to Apr 3, 2018 (snapshots exist for only part of 2013–2018).Source: ICANN zone-file snapshots, 2013–2018 (legacy archive)
Dec 19, 2013 – Feb 23, 2014Registrar: Registrar Melbourne IT Ltd (IANA 13) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for books.com, from Dec 19, 2013 to Feb 23, 2014.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Mar 19, 2014 – Nov 3, 2026Registrar: Registrar CSC Corporate Domains, Inc. (IANA 299) in the registration data recorded, first on Mar 19, 2014 and most recently on Nov 3, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Sep 6, 2026
Apr 4, 2018 – Jun 6, 2026Zone file: Registration records listed barnesandnoble.com nameservers (mail9th1.barnesandnoble.com, ns2.barnesandnoble.com, ns3.barnesandnoble.com…) for books.com from Apr 4, 2018 to Jun 6, 2026. Days a zone file covers are shown from the zone file instead.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Jul 28, 2022Registrant: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Jul 28, 2022. That can be a rename, a new contact or a sale; the record alone does not say which.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Jun 18, 2026 – Sep 6, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Sep 6, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
Sep 8, 2026 – Nov 1, 2026Zone file: First seen in the .com zone file records AboutUs holds on Sep 8, 2026; latest sighting Nov 1, 2026. Nameservers on Nov 1, 2026: austin.ns.cloudflare.com, gigi.ns.cloudflare.com.Source: ICANN CZDS zone file, snapshot Nov 1, 2026
Sep 23, 2026 – Nov 7, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt issued 1 certificate for books.com from Sep 23, 2026, the latest valid until Dec 22, 2026. Seen in use on Nov 4, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Nov 4, 2026
Sep 24, 2026Zone file: The nameservers listed for books.com changed in the zone file on Sep 24, 2026.Source: ICANN CZDS zone file, snapshot Nov 1, 2026
Sep 29, 2026 – Nov 7, 2026Certificate: Sectigo Limited issued 1 certificate for books.com from Sep 29, 2026, the latest valid until Dec 26, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Nov 1, 2026Zone file: books.com's nameservers moved from barnesandnoble.com to Cloudflare at some point between Jun 6, 2026 and Nov 1, 2026. Last seen at barnesandnoble.com: Jun 6, 2026 (registration record). First seen at Cloudflare: Nov 1, 2026 (ICANN zone file (CZDS)). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the 5 months in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → ICANN zone file (CZDS))
2 of 4 safety checks passed (Nov 7, 2026).
Registered 1992 · site answered with HTTP 403
Books.com The Barnes and Noble website
The shipping messages on the Barnes & Noble.com web site tell you how quickly products are expected to be ready to leave our warehouses.
Make sure the site responds over HTTPS with a valid certificate.
Page metadata (passed)
Security headers (failed)
Add the HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, and X-Frame-Options response headers.
AboutUs has not vetted this site. Everything below is what we could measure automatically. Anything you do on the site — paying, sharing personal details, downloading — is between you and the site, not AboutUs.
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
latest result
Domain registered Oct 9, 1992 — 34 years old.
latest result
Registrar on record: CSC Corporate Domains, Inc. — unchanged since AboutUs began tracking (Sep 5, 2026).
checked Oct 3, 2026
The live front page reads as an online shop that sells products, mainly for the public as customers.
Authority 39/100— ahead of 39% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
39 is a percentile: higher than 39% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #865,186)+4
Verified continuity: 34.1 years (RDAP registration)+11
Security & email hygiene+2
Calibration adjustment (published map)+5
Model score: 22/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 39/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 62 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 62 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
What books.com said about itself, 2006
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2006
The shipping messages on the Barnes & Noble.com web site tell you how quickly products are expected to be ready to leave our warehouses. Please note that our shipping messages do not indicate when items will arrive at their final destination -- only when items are expected to be packed and ready to leave our warehouse.
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date.